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Wednesday, August 24th7:00‐8:00PMMadeline Island Museum

The Phenology of Mammals, Birds and other Creatures of the North Country

Speaker: John Bates, Wisconsin’s Northwoods naturalist for 27 years. Author of seven books on natural history of the Northwoods.

Phenology is the gate through which nature becomes personal. It’s often a list of firsts — the first spring peeper to sing in the spring, the first robin to return, the first walleye to spawn, the first fawn to be born, the first monarch butterfly to return, the first mosquito to hatch. But it’s also a list of other timings — the first and last frosts, the peak of fall color, the first and last days of ice cover on a lake. These connections to the timing of physical events offer insights into how the natural world works — the whens and whys. Perhaps more importantly, being mindful of the unfolding of natural events often evolves into a soulful perspective of where one lives, which may be the best reason for paying attention at all.

John’s poems have also appeared in five different art/science collaborations, several of which have traveled nationally.

He’s worked as a naturalist in Wisconsin’s Northwoods for 26 years, leading an array of trips all designed to help people further understand the remarkable diversity and beauty of nature, and our place within it.

Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve

The Madeline Island Wilderness Preserve is a non-profit land trust dedicated to the protection and preservation of natural areas on Madeline Island. The nature preserve lands are open to the public for hiking, skiing, berry-picking and hunting. MIWP is committed to education and advocacy — each summer we sponsor field trips and evening programs. Madeline Island is adjacent to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore on the South Shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin.